Only Human
by HardfacedQueenofMisadventure
Summary: A nightmare. A fever. It's at times like this that she's grateful to have him. A NeoTrin twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

**Due to the overwhelming amount of positive feedback I got for my last NeoTrin piece (seriously, those reviews made my decade, you're all amazing, I love you all), I've decided to finally let this piece see the virtual light of day. It's a sick!fic, which I have been known to crave like a hormonal teenager craves chocolate. I'm kind of hyperventilating now just imagining people's reactions, ****but I'm publishing it anyway because I need to get over my hang-ups about my work. Without further ado, enjoy!**

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_A warm, fluid weight presses down on her body from every angle, surrounding her. She struggles to open her eyes under the pressure, and her first thought is that she's blind. All she can see is a dull, dim reddish blur. __**What…? **__She tries to sit up, but can't; there are things – tubes, wires– tethering her in place, trapping her. It takes a few more seconds for her to realise where she is, and when the truth hits, a sensation of pure horror washes over her.  
__**No. Not here, not again, no… **__She reaches out a hand to try to tear her way to freedom the way she had to before, but the thin slimy membrane has been replaced by a sheet of thick opaque glass, impossible for her weak muscles to break through. She wants to scream, but the thick metal tube in her throat won't even grant her that. The best she can manage is a muffled, choking cry of terror as her mind surrenders to raw panic.  
__**No. I got out of here before, and I can do it again. **__She wriggles, pounding against the glass with all of her strength, crying out, sobbing as she realises that it's no good, she's going to be trapped forever.  
_Trinity…! _A voice in the darkness, distant and faint but unmistakable. __**Neo… **__She tries to call for him, but it's all she can do to breathe properly now. __**Neo, I'm in here! God, help me! **__  
_Trin, you need to wake up… _**I'm trying. **__She's weakening again, being dragged back into unconsciousness, probably due to some sedative that the Machines are pumping into her, and she knows that it's now or never. She fights back with everything she's got, which isn't ever going to be enough. Her fists beat weakly against the glass, which surprisingly, _impossibly_, shatters under the attack. __**This is it. **__She begins the painful task of freeing herself from the many wires and tubes, gagging painfully on the one in her throat. But she welcomes the pain. It means freedom at last. But just as she's adjusting to the air again, pulling in ragged, burning breaths, a Machine looms over her, and she knows without thinking that it's going to kill her.  
_Come on, Trinity. You're dreaming. _It raises a vicious-looking appendage and strikes, aiming directly for her heart –  
_

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Trinity jerked upright, unable to hold back the scream that rose in her throat. Almost immediately a pair of soothingly familiar arms wrapped around her, and Neo held her close. She was shaking violently, and her thin cotton top was clinging to her body, but she'd never felt more grateful for his touch. He stroked her hair, murmuring words of comfort.

"Ssh," he breathed, and it took her a moment to realise she was still sobbing out loud. "It's okay, you're okay." She nodded, burying her face in his neck, trying to quell the shaking that still swept through her body in unforgiving waves. _Why is it so cold in here? _He seemed to sense what she was feeling, and pulled her even closer. She dared to fully open her eyes, and the scene that greeted her was so comfortingly safe and normal that she almost started crying again. They were at home, or as close to it as they could get, in Zion, a safe place. The blankets were strewn across the floor, and she guessed that that was her doing.

"You kept crying out," Neo explained, once again seeming to read her thoughts. "And then it looked like you were fighting something off."

"I was back there," she whispered, voice cracking a little. "Back in that pod…wires…" Speaking was an effort, but he seemed to understand her.

"And…there was this Machine…and it…" Nausea struck like a punch to the stomach and she tore herself away from him, just making it to the bathroom before her legs gave out, clinging grimly to the sink as agonizing heaves ripped through her. Neo was behind her in an instant, holding her up, smoothing her hair out of her eyes. Part of her hated that he had to be the one witnessing this, but the rest of her felt too awful to really care.

"Get out of here," she mumbled during a brief pause, doing her best to shoulder him away. He fielded all of her efforts with ease, but drew back obediently when the next wave struck.

"God…" she choked out, cautiously lifting her head again after a few more minutes. "This is…" She let out a tiny, frustrated sigh when words failed her, digging her fingers into the rim of the sink.

"Forget about it," he said lightly, interpreting her incoherence as mere embarrassment. "You've seen me do the same thing." She shook her head expressively.

He gently rubbed her lower back, which somehow helped the sickness to pass a little. It was still several minutes before she was positive that nothing else was coming up. Exhausted by the effort she'd exerted, she let herself fall back against Neo's chest, breathing heavily. He lowered her to the tiled floor and stroked her damp forehead, a gesture that never failed to calm her down, despite the fact that tonight his fingers felt icy against her skin.

"Jesus…" he murmured, and there was a tone in his voice that she immediately didn't like. "You're burning up, Trin."

"I'm okay," she replied immediately, more of a self-reassurance than anything else, given that she'd never felt further from _okay _in her life. He didn't buy it anyway, merely sighing sympathetically as he passed her a cup of water. She took it gratefully, eager to rid her mouth of the bitter, acidic taste.

"Come on," he said at last, taking her arm to help her off of the floor. A rush of dizziness cascaded over her as soon as she stood, and she would have fallen had it not been for him holding her upright. It was the work of a dazed few minutes to slip off her damp top and exchange it for a new one, and the work of a few seconds for her to crawl back between the still-warm sheets. In spite of her earlier nightmares, she was grateful to be back in bed again. She had no idea what time it was, but she was too tired now to care. Neo sat beside her, features etched with concern as he watched her eyes open and close.

"Sleep," he whispered. Suddenly gripped with a childish fear that her nightmare would return, she groped for his hand in the half-light.

"Don't leave." She hated to beg him, but anything was better than returning to that alien, claustrophobic Hell again, even if it was merely a nightmare. He nodded, and bent down to place a kiss on her forehead. He started to hum under his breath, and she finally allowed herself to stop fighting and drift into darkness.

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**Those of you who do not wish to hear Neo's mental babbling about the state of the world are free to get off of this crazy train at this stop. Thank you for taking the time to read this, feedback would be immensely helpful. If you're curious, feel free to read the next chapter too. Feedback would be even more helpful there. **


	2. Chapter 2

It was the middle of the night, but Neo knew that catching up on any more sleep now was out of the question. He was too shaken up; too alert.  
_But why? _Common sense struggled to override, tried to tell him that this was normal, an innocent virus that he was likely to wind up catching in a few days. But the sight of Trinity – usually so strong and unyielding – reduced to tears over a simple nightmare was just too unnerving. She was sleeping now, and he took advantage of the momentary lull to get some fresh air and to straighten his troubled thoughts.

_Why is this happening now? And why her? This isn't fair. _The state of the world as he knew it was fragile enough; impending war and disaster loomed over the people of Zion like a storm on the verge of breaking, nobody knew when the strike would come but they all knew it would sooner or later, and they were all turning to him for protection and guidance. The One wanted peace, but Thomas just wanted a relationship with Trinity: wanted to hold her close and kiss her and do all of those things they hadn't had time to do because they'd been too busy fighting. And now she was sick and all he wanted to focus on was that, but it was impossible. _Responsibility. What a bitch._

Careful not to wake or disturb her in any way, he padded back over to the bed and sat next to Trinity's sleeping form. Asleep, she was more beautiful than she could ever know. Her hard mask of cool, expressionless focus had melted into a soft, sweet smile. All of her troubles seemed to have faded along with her consciousness. Even now, leached of healthy colour, she was beautiful. He reached out almost unconsciously to caress her burning cheek, deftly sweeping a lock of dark hair off of her face. She didn't stir at his touch. And for that he was grateful. Still moving as cautiously as if his lover were made of spun glass, he slipped between the thin sheets, gently nestling beside her, wrapping his arms around her midsection. She still did not awaken, but emitted a low, cracked moan at his sudden touch, curling in closer. He held her tighter; protective. He never wanted to let her go.

_It'll all be okay, Trinity. I promise you that._

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**Well, thank god that's over. My hands are shaking a bit now, so I'll be quick. Hope you actually got some enjoyment out of it, if you didn't I don't need to hear it, unless I screwed up my spelling/grammar, in which case feel free to go crazy. By the way, this only became a two-shot because I didn't feel like the two halves really meshed together, yet I couldn't bring myself to cut this part. Consider it bonus content; a scene from the cutting room floor. Reviews would be wonderful. *curls up in a ball of anxiety* **


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